


The Wild Interior

by konoyo



Category: Monster of the Week (Tabletop RPG), Seven Miles (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Gen, being kidnapped, but what else is new, small Children, spooky monster bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 22:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20142769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/konoyo/pseuds/konoyo
Summary: There's a first time for everything, including being kidnapped because you're the sons of an extremely wealthy man.





	The Wild Interior

The room is dim except for an open round window in one of the walls and everything smells of salt and fish. He usually likes the smell, it's ocean and fun and freedom, but not right now. They're not supposed to be here. Right now, they should be in school. It's midday, maybe it's even time for recess and lunch. But all they have is this small room, and a couple of store bought sandwiches still wrapped on the floor in front of them. It's been long enough that the swaying has stopped being obvious but neither of them are very hungry right now.

Val is sitting next to him, fingers tight around his hand, quietly crying. Isco feels bad. He should hug his brother but he's been crying for a while now and Val had said he didn't need to hug him if he didn't want to. He should. It would make Val feel better. But he doesn't want to.

"Father will come get us soon," Isco says, instead. "Don't cry."

Val sniffles and wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm not crying. I don't want him to come. We'll get in trouble."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not," his twin insists. His face is all red and tear stained and gross. "I just... I want to see nana again. Do you think we'll see nana again?"

Isco gives this some serious thought. "We should. If father comes to get us, then we'll see nana after he's done being angry."

"Do you think she'll be mad at us?"

Isco considers this, too. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Oh, everyone is going to be so mad at us and then we won't ever be allowed outside and it's going to be the worst, Isco..."

Val's crying again and Isco squeezes his hand, his own tears starting to well up. What if Val's right? What if they're never allowed outside again? He rubs at his eyes furiously and scoots a little closer to Val. "We can sneak out. They can't stop us. Sneak out like in the movies," he says, trying to sound reassuring to his own ears.

"Father and mother are just going to put us in a box and forget about us. And not let anyone see us ever until we're all grown up and ‘ve forgotten what outside is like. What if they don't let me see you again? Isco, what if they separate us?"

Isco's really scared now. Val's right. What if they're separated after this? What will they do without each other? But before he can truly start to panic, there's creaking above them and Isco presses a hand over Val's mouth.

Creak. Creak. Indistinct voices. More creaking but it's not getting closer or coming down the stairs. It fades away. "You have to be quiet. What if those men decide to hurt you because you're too loud?" Isco chides quietly.

"I'm okay if it hurts," Val says, pouting. "But I don't want you to hurt... I'll be quiet." He puts his head on Isco's shoulder. He's crying again. "I don't want you to be hurt."

"I'm okay," Isco says, squeezing Val's hand. "I'm not hurt at all."

"Okay." Val sniffles.

"Okay."

They echo each other's okays for a little. It feels nice, calm, like the sway of the ocean under them. Isco looks up again when the light suddenly darkens. There's something at the window.

It's hard to see, but something long and spindly folds over the round edge of the window. Four, then four more and then the boat rocks gently to one side, as if being tested. Then, all of a sudden, the room goes fully dark.

Val is paying attention now, too, and once Isco's eyes adjust, he can see that it's not dark outside at all, only that something is shoving its way through the window, the scrape of scales against wood audible in the shocked silence. Whatever it is, it's thin and long and where its silhouette is illuminated by what light can peek through, it's sharp edged and glinting, black fish skin like oil pouring itself into a pair of large, dead eyes, teeth pointing every which way from a gaping mouth. He can see the gills moving, gasping for air until its ribcage suddenly expands in a raspy breath, its mouth opening wider.

Isco screams, and now it's Val's hand covering his mouth.

"You shouldn't be out of the water," Val says, matter-of-factly beside him. "I'm sorry I didn't come. I'm stuck on this boat."

"V-Val, w-what is tha-at?" Isco asks, his hand tightening on Val's as his brother digs around in a pocket.

"She's a friend. I call her... Hmmm, you're Cheery, right?"

The horrible thing nods and stretches its head closer and Isco scrambles to drag Val away from it, throwing his arms around his twin. "Please don't eat my brother!"

"She won't eat us, she just wants her daily rock. Right, Cheery?" The dead eyes blink silently as Val offers up a rock from his pocket. Water is dripping off every spindly scale of this thing, a tap tap tap of drops that intensify as it lifts a long, bony hand. It reaches past the rock.

"No!" Isco yells and pulls Val back but there's nowhere to go, only the wall behind them so all he can do is squeeze his twin tight and hope.

Val sniffles. The bony hand gently wipes away some of the snot, flicking it with a careless motion, then gently pushes a strand of Val's hair back into place. Val giggles. "Don't you want your rock?" He still has it outstretched in front of him.

There's a prolonged pause then suddenly, a scream from the doorway. Isco hugs Val a little tighter and turns his head. It's one of the men who had taken them, shakily fumbling with a gun as he's backing away, up the stairs again, eyes trained on the monster. Val hugs him back and they shut their eyes as a gunshot goes off and there's a terrible shriek, the room suddenly filling with light again.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Did you just shoot the fucking Ewing kids, are you insane??"

"There's- There's something -"

"What the fuck are you talking about, I knew I shouldn't have given you a gun-"

There's a commotion, many people trying to fit down the stairs at once and Isco keeps his eyes closed. As long as he and Val are together, they're safe. There's an argument, more shouting, then screams, father away from up above. One, another one then a gunshot, then a third scream that's cut short. Another gunshot and another high pitched shriek. He doesn't dare open his eyes.

Not until it's silent.

Not until there's only the rocking of the boat, the cry of seagulls and Val's breathing next to him.

The room darkens again as a face peers through the window. It's the same face, though maybe it's a different monster, Isco can't really tell. The water dripping from it glints red in the sunlight. When it opens its mouth, several small fish slide out, flopping their way around on the floor.

"Oh," Val says. "Thank you. We've got, uh, sandwiches."

The face blinks, maybe, then disappears.

The room is silent but for the distant cry of seagulls and lapping of waves. The sun starts setting, at some point, and neither of them have yet to say a word. "We shouldn't go upstairs," Val says when Isco stands.

"Why?"

"We just shouldn't."

Isco looks at him, then looks out the window. "Okay. I need to go pee though."

"I'm sure the people whose boat this is don't care if you pee in here. Anymore."

"Oh. Okay."

It's sometime in the middle of the night when the room fills with flashing light, red and blue. The boat has been found. The fish has started rotting. There's footsteps, more creaks of wood and stairs, a quiet sort of commotion. It's another couple of hours until the two of them, sleepy and cold, are lifted by someone, flashlights illuminating only silhouettes. The person carrying them smells like old leather and cigar smoke. It must be father.

"No, you can't let this go to press. Absolutely not. That's my final word on it, thank you." They're carried up the stairs. "I don't care what happened and no, if it were me, I wouldn't have been in your office for the past couple of hours. I would thank you to get out of my way."

Isco curls his hands around his father's neck and closes his eyes a little tighter. They aren't in trouble if father's carrying them like this. That's good. It's not too long until they're tucked into the back seat of a car and Isco shifts, scooting over to take Val's hand again. Their eyes meet in the semi dark of the empty car.

"You can't tell anyone what happened," Val says quietly as someone gets into the driver's seat.

Isco nods. He won't tell a soul.


End file.
